Quotes of the day

posted at 10:41 pm on August 16, 2012 by Allahpundit

Taking command of the French 9th army in 1914 as it retreated before the Germans, Marshal Ferdinand Foch uttered his immortals words: “Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I attack.”…

If Medicare reform could be adjudicated in a roundtable discussion hosted by uberwonk Alice Rivlin over tea and scones at the Brookings Institution, it would be one thing. But the tenor and substance will be set by David Axelrod, whose professional obligation is to be witlessly demagogic and wholly dishonest…

Even if it stays on offense, the Romney campaign is on perilous ground with Medicare. But there is no heading back. There is no cute way out.

***

Many spending hawks in Washington had hoped that Mitt Romney’s selection of leading deficit warrior Paul Ryan as his running mate would open a more candid and sober debate about cutting federal spending.

But the tone of the campaign rhetoric on Medicare — with each party accusing the other of working to destroy the program — has raised concern among longtime deficit-reduction advocates that neither party is preparing the public for what they see as the demographic imperative of curbing Medicare spending…

Instead of running out of money in 2024, Medicare says its trust fund for inpatient care would go broke in 2016 without the cuts. That could leave a President Romney little political breathing room to finalize his own Medicare plan…

“If you are going to restore (Obama’s cuts), then what it’s going to do is complicate the financial condition of Medicare,” said former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, a fiscal conservative who says government health care programs are too costly.

***

Over time, the demographic pressures will intensify. The Social Security trustees project that by 2040 there will be 80 million seniors (one-fifth of the total population) and only about two and a half working-age Americans for each one of them. Ryan is right to recognize that something’s got to give.

But while he has correctly diagnosed a major problem, his plan ignores another central element of the budget equation: The bitter experience of leaders from Ronald Reagan to Newt Gingrich to Barack Obama has demonstrated that it is virtually impossible to sell major changes in entitlement programs without bipartisan support. And Ryan’s blueprint seems almost designed to repel Democrats…

Virtually no Democrat would support converting Medicare into a premium-support system if it comes in that wrapping. “If Republicans are not going to let the Bush tax cuts for upper-income taxpayers expire, then any kind of serious entitlement reform is off the table for Democrats,” says the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Steve Bell, former Republican staff director for the Senate Budget Committee.

***

Democrats’ relentless campaigns against Republicans as threatening to “destroy” Social Security and Medicare have succeeded at intimidation — and, curiously, Paul Ryan is proof.

There are two Ryans: what I call the good Ryan and the bad Ryan. Probably more than anyone in Washington, the good Ryan has highlighted long-term deficits’ potential harm to our children and grandchildren. The bad Ryan has fashioned an unrealistic and undesirable budget by trying to accommodate both liberal dogma (don’t cut Social Security and Medicare benefits) and conservative dogma (don’t raise taxes). Any sensible plan must do both…

[T]he elderly would be mainly spared [in Ryan's budget]. Spending on them in 2030 would drop only slightly, estimates the CBO. Despite this, President Obama warns that Republicans “would end Medicare as we know it.” Liberal pundits say Republicans would “kill” Medicare. It is this cynical fear-mongering that poisons debate. One reason Democrats won’t change Social Security and Medicare is that defending them is so politically rewarding. This, as much as Republican tax intransigence, underlies the stalemate.

***

Had the president embraced the [Bowles-Simpson deficit reduction] plan, it still likely wouldn’t have passed but it would have provided a new, substantive line of attack. Obama could have, as Clinton did with changes to welfare, stolen the middle ground. Obama instead reverted back to his calls for more stimulus spending, miniature versions of his 2009 program.

Obama let Ryan off the hook. Ryan might have seemed intransigent, but when Obama punted and then offered a budget that ignored the issues, Ryan’s status as a man of big ideas and reason was preserved…

Now, Obama is reaping the unhappy harvest as Ryan crisscrosses the country prosecuting the president’s inaction on debt and deficits. Had Obama done the same to Ryan in the winter of 2010-2011, not only would Ryan not be Romney’s running mate, but Obama could be making a claim on fiscal centrism rather than just launching wave after wave of attacks on his Republican challenger.

Next time you get your pay stub, take a look at the line that says payroll taxes, FICA. Those payroll taxes that come out of our paychecks are designed for two programs and two programs alone: Medicare and Social Security. But now, because of Obamacare, it’s funding Obamacare as well.

Blowback

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You know I am kidding about The Won. Actually Bottom Dollar is owned by Food Lion and in Virginia Beach/Norfolk area they changed them all back to regular Food Lions. The store with the great price is Kroger. They were advertised at .99 but all of the sudden they are .79. My guess is they over purchased. Most of the time I’m in Florida which no longer has any Food Lions.

I didn’t bid, I just wanted to show you a picture. I actually like the early ones better. But you are right, it is a work of art.

Cindy Munford on August 17, 2012 at 1:56 AM

Would that I could it would be yours. This past week unfortunately proved costly for me. Quite deep in the purse. Roswell technology let me down. I had a 10 k tower break down on me and to add insult to injury the SubZero is on the fritz another cool k to repair. Such was the week that was. ; ) I will keep an eye peeled for a deal for you still. Whats the good of creating wealth if you can’t spread it around. Lol!

My parents live in the Villages (unfortunately they are not there now and will miss the tour.)

It’s not so much an old folks’ community as it is a self-sustaining pseduo-state. It’s massive and revolves almost entirely around golf. I’d bet it’s 75%+ GOP voting, too.

Dirt McGirt on August 17, 2012 at 1:39 AM

Actually it’s interesting to visit. Lots of old folks but just as many middle age couples and extended families. Strange actually. The entire area is nice however and yes I get the impression it’s a GOP area. I actually like the Mt. Dora area.

I haven’t paid anywhere near a thousand to buy a refrigerator let alone to fix one but having stuff that doesn’t work is the worst. Will the tower at least be a tax write off? I hope you are done having things go on the fritz.

I can’t believe the nerve of that woman! But I guess if you can go off and leave a dog locked in an empty house, you are pretty much capable of anything. I had female Dalmatians before my current little guys, about 45 lbs. each. I like bigger dogs but I’m getting too old to have to handle them.

It’s for the stupidest reason. We have done a back up of the current stage before we put on 7 but we can’t get my son’s iTunes off there because we don’t have his password. That’s the extent of my knowledge of our sad sad story.

I haven’t paid anywhere near a thousand to buy a refrigerator let alone to fix one but having stuff that doesn’t work is the worst. Will the tower at least be a tax write off? I hope you are done having things go on the fritz.

Cindy Munford on August 17, 2012 at 2:08 AM

I won’t be buying anymore SubZeros if that tells you anything. I went with the better half to see about fetching a replacement. Refrigerators have become exceedingly expensive. The quality is at best lessor than what we have. So I’m leaning towards the fix. The tower will be absorbed by my business.

Of all the Roswells I have looked at in the last few minutes since you posted it. I think the one you posted is my fav. What would the son think? Mom!?!?! Lol!

My son is concentrating more on school and less on guitars, which he has plenty of. He has a Gibson Raw Power he hasn’t even played much. I went back and did a close up of the guitar I linked to you and that is the one I love. The newer ones have smooth tops. Did you notice the frets?

It’s for the stupidest reason. We have done a back up of the current stage before we put on 7 but we can’t get my son’s iTunes off there because we don’t have his password. That’s the extent of my knowledge of our sad sad story.

Cindy Munford on August 17, 2012 at 2:14 AM

Well, there are still ways to work around that DEPENDING on your level of expertise and how complicated his password is and how savy a computer user HE is.

One way is to check to see if he wrote the PW down and left it laying around somewhere (yeah people REALLY do that still); if you’re talking about his using the Windows Password screen (on startup), you could try to guess what it is based on his personality and his interests. The Windows PW screen really doesn’t have a “3 Strikes” rule to it; you could keep trying until you get in.

Even in this day and age, people still use stuff like Bdays, pets names, GF/BF/BFF names and Bday for thier passwords and are still amazed that they got “Hacked”… But i digress…

Last ditch of course would be to “piggyback” the hard drive into a new system and set that drive as “slave”; the new system will access that drive and allow you to get in and copy what you need; after that put that drive back in the other computer, and then resume installing 7 on it.

People, I lost my soul mate. A black Great Dane named BeBe who I adopted at 6 months old. She lived with me for 10 1/2 years, and I praise God that he allowed this. Please hug your pets tonight and say a prayer for BeBe and say a prayer for me.

BeBe Angienetter Norris
September 11, 2001 – August 16, 2012

the new aesthetic on August 16, 2012 at 11:05 PM

..My heart aches. (I lost my Alice about a year ago and the pain still remains.) God bless you and God keep your good friend. BeBe will be there waiting faithfully when you join her in heaven.

Yes the one you linked has many nice features over the newer ones. Visually at least. I liked the fluted top and the fret board is very cool. Looks like the guitar shop where they are made keep the unique fret board but went with the plin body. The backside of the linked one is more interesting to me also. The linked one would definitely be the way to go. Just based on its uniqueness. It’s a beauty! It says there is a wee ding in it but I can’t see it. Looked very clean to me. It’s just up in NC it says.

You should definitely pick up a decent guitar and a small amp and start playing. Its the things we want to do, but don’t, in life that we regret the most.

thatsafactjack on August 17, 2012 at 2:18 AM

You got me there. If i had my **** set, the perfect time to practice would have been my 2 year enjoyment of the “Summer of Recovery”, but unfortunately…lol…

However, back on track some, and i do spend my money on …other hobbies too, so maybe i’ll look at some on ebay for next few weeks and pick one up by by birthday this year. Could you recommend a good book or study guide for someone…umm, Musically Instrument Challenged? I cant really read notes to save my buns, but i can “play by ear” if u know what i mean…

It depends. Do you want to read music or do you do better playing by ear and picking it up that way? Everyone is different.

There are a lot of very good books out there. Start with any of them, learn the chords and basic chord patterns first as a foundation but then I suggest picking out a tune that you love, something with a simple lead line, and start working on it. A lot of people get bored trying to learn it all from the book, get discouraged and quit. You’ll know what’s right for you as you go along. After awhile, it will start to come naturally as you acquire skills. :)

LOL! She’s your ex (for a reason) if there aren’t children involved ignore her. You will have less pain, suffering and bar tabs and I guarantee you the added bonus of it annoying the living you know what out of her. It works kind of like this….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpSfThUv_pc

“Everyone knows that Medicare in its current state is unsustainable. There’s not a serious person out there who argues otherwise,” said Steve Bell, economic policy director at the Bipartisan Policy Center. “And we are now starting to have an emotional, distorted, propagandistic debate about it.”

Nothing big ever changed in a democratic republic without first having a “emotional…” debate about it”

Heck, you may as well lay back and enjoy it, if the messiahship is re-elected, it may be the very last debate Americans were allowed to have in public.

The media attack on Ryan is revving up. Did they show the same diligence in the last 4 years for anything involving Barry?

“After having these letters called to my attention I checked into them, and they were treated as constituent service requests in the same way matters involving Social Security or Veterans Affairs are handled,” Ryan said in a statement. “This is why I didn’t recall the letters earlier. But they should have been handled differently, and I take responsibility for that.

“Regardless, it’s clear that the Obama stimulus did nothing to stimulate the economy, and now the President is asking to do it all over again.”

Even if it stays on offense, the Romney campaign is on perilous ground with Medicare. But there is no heading back. There is no cute way out.

This is quite correct: Obama decided to touch the third rail of entitlements, grasp it in both hands, lick it, embrace it totally. Remind Axelrod of this and that there is no ‘cute way out’ from defending it.

What is the greatest threat to Medicare as we know it? Medicare as we know it. -Iowahawk

As for Hillary… I’m sure her response was more… ‘BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA you have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!’ Somewhere along the line Obama will take a look at the ruins he created and remember Bill Clinton telling him earnestly that the American people would LOVE a new, burdensome healthcare morass. And Obama BELIEVED HIM. Hillary will get her revenge, Bill too come to think of it… and it isn’t Republicans they are going to go after.

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s new promise to restore the Medicare cuts made by President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law could backfire if he’s elected.

The reason: Obama’s cuts also extended the life of Medicare’s giant trust fund, and by repealing them Romney would move the insolvency date of the program closer, toward the end of what would be his first term in office.

Yeah, but Romney is not running against Ryan, he is running against Obama and Obama did not put that money in a trust fund, instead he used it to fund Obamacare.

The thing is if they do those cuts right now, it will mean more people on medicaid because medicare is for a lot of people their primary payer source. If medicare does not pay up, then those people fall back on medicaid. And that system is just as shaky.

They do need to reform the medicare system and the social security system however, just cutting the money that goes to providers might not be the best way to do that.

i have studied Sarah for these past 4 years. Her intellect far surpasses mine or anyone i have known.

renalin on July 17, 2012 at 7:12 PM

Renalin thinks you guys are stupid and will fall for this stuff. He’s MOCKING Palin fans by posting goofy comments he could imagine actually coming from her fans.

All renalin does is bash Mitt, referring to him as a “filthy rich white guy” and “mitt romney the rich guy.”

This tells me that Obama supporters, even the insignificant shut-ins among them like renalin who have too much free time on their hands, fear Romney (and Ryan), and are willing to spend time each day going out of their way to try attack them. The more people like them post, the more it tells me Obama’s chances aren’t looking so hot. :-)

Still, your choice is Romney or Obama or sit this one out and let adults make the call. Sorry, almost forgot…you could choose to piss your vote away on a 3rd party candidate. As for me, I will heed my preferred candidate’s (Palin) advice and vote for Romney.

ouch! the morning joe crew doesn’t think ryan forgot. they showed the clip of ryan being asked about the stimulus money and his eyes looked pretty shifty to me.

renalin on August 17, 2012 at 7:54 AM

You got the all-lowercase typing style right in that comment, but you forgot to throw in your usual purposeful grammatical and spelling mistakes to make your comment look more authentic. Don’t get lazy and fall out of character on us, ok? Remember, you’re supposed to be a not-too-bright, disgruntled Sarah Palin fan who hates Mitt and Paul Ryan and who doesn’t want conservatives to become enthuisastic about the winning Romney/Ryan ticket. Well, you’re too late for that; it has already happened.

And to think I actually believed for a time that you were a legitimate Palin fan. (I guess that says a lot about what I thought about her superfans, though maybe I didn’t give the real fans enough credit. Sorry, guys! Should have known better.) I’ve no doubt that pretty much all Palin fans, including Palin herself, strongly support Romney/Ryan.

Matt Patterson (columnist for the Washington Post, New York Post, San
Francisco Examiner)

Government & Society

Years from now, historians may regard the 2008 election of Barack
Obama as an inscrutable and disturbing phenomenon, the result of a
baffling breed of mass hysteria akin perhaps to the witch craze of the
Middle Ages.

How, they will wonder, did a man so devoid of professional
accomplishment beguile so many into thinking he could manage the
world’s largest economy, direct the world’s most powerful military,
execute the world’s most consequential job? Imagine a future historian
examining Obama’s pre-presidential life: ushered into and through the
Ivy League despite unremarkable grades and test scores along the way;
a cushy non-job as a “community organizer”; a brief career as a state
legislator devoid of legislative achievement (and in fact nearly
devoid of his attention, so often did he vote “present”) ; and finally
an unaccomplished single term in the United States Senate, the
entirety of which was devoted to his presidential ambitions.

He left no academic legacy in academia, authored no signature
legislation as a legislator. And then there is the matter of his
troubling associations: the white-hating, America-loathing preacher
who for decades served as Obama’s “spiritual mentor”; a real-life,
actual terrorist who served as Obama’s colleague and political
sponsor. It is easy to imagine a future historian looking at it all
and asking:how on Earth was such a man elected president?

Not content to wait for history, the incomparable Norman Podhoretz
addressed the question recently in the Wall Street Journal: To be
sure, no white candidate who had close associations with an outspoken
hater of America like Jeremiah Wright and an unrepentant terrorist
like Bill Ayers, would have lasted a single day. But because Mr. Obama
was black, and therefore entitled in the eyes of liberaldom to have
hung out with protesters against various American injustices, even if
they were a bit extreme, he was given a pass. Let that sink in: Obama
was given a pass – held to a lower standard – because of the color of
his skin.

Podhoretz continues: And in any case, what did such ancient history
matter when he was also so articulate and elegant and (as he himself
had said) “non-threatening,” all of which gave him a fighting chance
to become the first black president and thereby to lay the curse of
racism to rest? Podhoretz puts his finger, I think, on the animating
pulse of the Obama phenomenon – affirmative action. Not in the legal
sense, of course. But certainly in the motivating sentiment behind all
affirmative action laws and regulations, which are designed primarily
to make white people, and especially white liberals, feel good about
themselves.

Unfortunately, minorities often suffer so that whites can pat
themselves on the back. Liberals routinely admit minorities to schools
for which they are not qualified, yet take no responsibility for the
inevitable poor performance and high drop-out rates which follow.
Liberals don’t care if these minority students fail; liberals aren’t
around to witness the emotional devastation and deflated self esteem
resulting from the racist policy that is affirmative action. Yes,
racist. Holding someone to a separate standard merely because of the
color of his skin – that’s affirmative action in a nutshell, and if
that isn’t racism, then nothing is.

And that is what America did to Obama. True, Obama himself was never
troubled by his lack of achievements, but why would he be? As many
have noted, Obama was told he was good enough for Columbia despite
undistinguished grades at Occidental; he was told he was good enough
for the US Senate despite a mediocre record in Illinois ; he was told
he was good enough to be president despite no record at all in the
Senate. All his life, every step of the way, Obama was told he was
good enough for the next step, in spite of ample evidence to the
contrary.

What could this breed if not the sort of empty narcissism on display
every time Obama speaks? In 2008, many who agreed that he lacked
executive qualifications nonetheless raved about Obama’s oratory
skills, intellect, and cool character. Those people – conservatives
included – ought now to be deeply embarrassed.

The man thinks and speaks in the hoariest of cliches, and that’s when
he has his teleprompter in front of him; when the prompter is absent
he can barely think or speak at all.

Not one original idea has ever issued from his mouth – it’s all
warmed-over Marxism of the kind that has failed over and over again
for 100 years.

And what about his character? Obama is constantly blaming anything and
everything else for his troubles. Bush did it; it was bad luck; I
inherited this mess. It is embarrassing to see a president so willing
to advertise his own powerlessness, so comfortable with his own
incompetence.

But really, what were we to expect? The man has never been responsible
for anything, so how do we expect him to act responsibly?

In short: our president is a small and small-minded man, with neither
the temperament nor the intellect to handle his job.

When you understand that, and only when you understand that, will the
current erosion of liberty and prosperity make sense. It could not
have gone otherwise with such a man in the Oval Office.